How It All Began
by apriiil
Summary: Lucy despised Valentine's Day, but after one of Mira's match-making schemes, what she expected to be a terrible day actually ended up being surprisingly great. One-shot. [HWHL]


**So, I thought I'd do a one-shot based on how the HWHL Bickslow and Lucy came to exist, sort of.**  
 **I'd like to thank _CelticHeart13_ for the idea, so thank you, thank you, thank you. *bows down***

 **With that, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Valentine's Day.

Or, the most ridiculous day of the year, in Lucy's opinion.

Every year she had to fight the urge to just stay in the safety of her own home, curled up on her lounge with a blanket wrapped around her and a book in her lap, a box of chocolates, and _several_ glasses (or bottles, depending on the size of them) of wine to keep her company.

Between the public displays of affection and the over-priced flowers that were getting sold on almost every single street corner, Lucy just really hated Valentine's Day.

Sure, she'd probably have a reason to actually enjoy Valentine's Day if she actually had a boyfriend – or at least a date – but alas, it had been yet another year and she was still boyfriendless and dateless.

And it wasn't like that was entirely her fault either. It wasn't like Lucy had been actively searching for a partner, but when it came to her team, being the overprotective and way too goddamn terrifying people they are, it was pretty hard to find someone who was willing to put up with not only her own weird habits but her team's too.

You know, assuming they didn't get scared off by her team in the first place.

But Valentine's Day had arguably become Lucy's least favourite day of the entire year, and by that point, she was convinced she was going to grow up to be an old and bitter cat lady. Hell, she wasn't even 20 and she was convinced she was going to be single forever!

"Ugh, this is ridiculous." Lucy mumbled into her pillow as she slowly rolled out of bed, lazily rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

If she heard one more 'I love you, sweetheart!' or 'Marry me, baby!' from the street just outside her window, she was probably going to get a giant bucket of ice water and tip it over the lovebirds' heads.

She was seriously considering just grabbing a bottle of wine from her kitchen and going back to bed with it and channel her inner Cana (because it wasn't even 10AM yet), but…no, Lucy knew she couldn't do that.

So with another groan, she pushed herself to her feet and padded over to her bathroom and ran her bath, tipping in the strawberry scented bubble bath and adding just a few drops of vanilla oil to the mix. Oh how she loved strawberry and vanilla mixed together – so sweet, and oh…so. Goddamn. Romantic.

 _Fuck_.

Eh, it was too late now. She wasn't going to change her bath routine just for one stupid day. Besides, it wasn't like anyone was going to be walking up to her to smell her – or at least she hoped not. It was really only Natsu who would do something as weird as that, so she had no reason to worry about her choice of fragrances, because god knew she'd always end up smelling like strawberries with just a hint of vanilla for the rest of the day.

She grimaced as she stepped into the bath and slowly sunk down into the almost scalding depths. It never took her long to adjust and just like she always was, she was soon able to completely submerge her body into the water. The heat stung her face, but it was nothing. If anything, she enjoyed it; the way the hot water warmed her to the very core of her being and how the slight stinging she felt all over from her pain receptors being set ablaze; it all made her feel alive.

Besides, she'd been friends with Natsu long enough to enjoy a little heat.

So as she finally rose from water, gasping for breath as she slicked her golden locks back, the slight chill in the room from the open window just beside the bath making her shiver slightly from the sudden temperature change, she sighed in content. Lucy reached for a folded towel at the end of the bath and put it behind her head to use it as a pillow as she sank down into the water even further, bringing her knees up when her feet touched the other end.

 _Time to relax and turn into a prune_ , she thought.

And she'd been doing so – peacefully, at that.

Until she heard some nitwit shout 'Happy Valentine's Day, darling!' from the street below, followed by some high pitched squealing that would put her own squealing to shame.

So with a scowl, she shot up from the water, ignoring the towel as it fell into the water and slowly unfolded around her feet as it sunk to the bottom of her stone bath, and she pulled her window shut, slamming it.

"Fucking Valentine's Day." She muttered under her breath as she stepped out of her bath and pulled the plug in it, letting it drain slowly.

Not even her bath could put her in a good mood.

* * *

When it came to Valentine's Day, Bickslow was somewhat conflicted. It was simultaneously his favourite and also his most hated day of the year.

It was favourite because he never went home alone – _ever_. There was always someone else in his bed or on his lounge, and that someone was always gone by the time he woke up the next morning. Bickslow would never have to see his blonde companion again – and yeah, they were almost always blonde. What could he say? He had a thing for blondes.

It was also his favourite because he and his babies would always terrorise people during the day, and sure, he'd end up getting banned for life from more stores, but seriously, when was he ever going to visit a goddamn bookstore or a florist?

Exactly; never.

The amount of proposals he'd interrupted and ruined over the years was truly amazing, and he never felt guilty for any of it.

But, Valentine's Day was also his _least_ favourite day.

Everyone was always so lovey-dovey and just plain gross. Too many cute couples littered the streets that day, constantly proclaiming their love and making absolute fools of themselves, and for what? Just so they could get laid?

Hell, you didn't need to do that to get laid and Bickslow knew that better than anyone. Buy a girl a drink (or a few), make up some bullshit life story that has her even more depressed and feeling sorry for not only herself because she's alone on the most romantic day of the year, but for you because you have some sad and tragic past, and bam, you've got someone to sleep with.

Bickslow had become a master of that.

Bickslow just wasn't the kind of person that enjoyed all of the cutesy displays of love and affection. He didn't do _love_ in general.

Love was gross.

So as he cackled and ran through the streets of Magnolia with some guy chasing after him, screaming at him because he'd just ruined his proposal, he could temporarily pretend it was just another day of the year, because really, there probably wasn't a single day of the year where he wasn't pissing people off.

But when he strolled into the guild just a little while later having lost the crazy-in-love madman (hah, who was Bickslow to call a madman?), his tongue retreated back into his mouth and his wide grin turned into a scowl.

There was a second reason to hate Valentine's Day, and that reason was Mira.

Mirajane fucking Strauss.

The demon barmaid from hell was the centre of all things to do with love and every year she managed to turn the inside of the guild into a pink-and-red wonderland.

Pink tablecloths on each table, red roses in vases in the centre of each, little heart shaped cookies and balloons and streamers, all in various shades of pink and red and white hung from the rafters or were tied to the bannisters.

It made Bickslow cringe and honestly want to turn and walk back out into the streets of Magnolia; maybe spend the rest of the day irritating people until it was a socially acceptable time to get drunk at a bar.

But he couldn't do that. No, he had a long-standing agreement with Laxus that if _he_ had to put up with Mira's stupid plans, then Bickslow had to as well, and that meant spending the rest of the day in the guild, gorging himself on heart shaped cookies.

Because let's face it – the eldest Strauss was a fucking genius when it came to all things food related.

"I see she's outdone herself this year," Bickslow mused, slouching down next to Laxus at a pink tablecloth-clad table. "How long do I have to stay here?" He asked as he grabbed one of the cookies from just next to the vases, his babies chanting 'stay here! Stay here!' as they hovered just behind him.

"Until I get to leave." The sulking man growled, picking the petals from a rose and adding them to the ever-growing pile of red petals just in front of him.

"Great, so…now?"

"Nice try, Bicks." Laxus scoffed, throwing another bare stem down and taking the last rose from the vase.

"Laxus Dreyar!"

Both Bickslow and Laxus froze before they turned to look up at the eldest Strauss just standing at the end of their table, balancing a serving tray on one hand as the other was against her hip, a menacing aura surrounding her that had both males subtly sliding down the bench and away from the demon herself.

"Was that really necessary?" Mira demanded as she gestured to the stems and rose petals on the table.

"Yes, it was." Laxus said.

"No, it really wasn't."

"It was, and it's your fault."

Mira took a step back as her mouth opened in shock just a tiny bit, an eyebrow slightly quirked. "How is your destroying beautiful roses my fault?"

"Because, if you hadn't put the fuckin' roses on the table in the first place then I wouldn't have anything to destroy," The Dragon Slayer insisted, throwing the last petal down onto the table and tossing the bare stem into the vase with a flourish and a slight smirk. "And besides, roses are _not_ beautiful."

"ROSES ARE MANLY!"

Bickslow groaned as he stood up, reaching over the blonde man to take one of the mugs from the tray in Mira's hand. "Shut the fuck up, Elfboy." He shouted across the hall.

"Elfboy! Elfboy!" His totems echoed.

"Elfboy is not a manly name!" Elfman shot back. Then, when Evergreen swatted him with her fan, "Oi! What the fuck was that for, woman?!"

The self-proclaimed Fairy Queen stood up and tucked her arms in at her sides, glaring back at the hulking man before her. "Will you stop with the 'manliness' crap already?!" She screeched, then, with a flick of her wrist to swat his giant arm with each sentence, "Manly this, manly that! Just stop, jeez!"

"H-hey! Ever!" Elfman said, cowering in fear from the woman. "I'm sorry! Please, Ever!"

With a smug smirk, Evergreen instantly sat back down, folding her leg over her knee as she folded her fan back up and tucked it under her arm. "Good."

Mira sighed as she turned back around to face the Dragon Slayer and Seith mage. "Anyway, Laxus," She said, tucking the now empty tray under an arm when she realised that the two men were both sipping away at the drinks she'd brought them. "If you destroy the next lot of roses that I place here, I'll destroy you."

"I'd like to see you try." Laxus scoffed, the corner of his mouth lifting up into a small smirk.

" _Laxus_." She warned, the menacing aura back once again, the purple tendrils snaking out.

"Right, right…fine…"

She smiled sweetly. "Good." She said simply as she turned, already making a beeline straight or the bar.

Bickslow cackled as he placed the already almost empty mug back on the table and picked up another heart shaped cookie, barely paying attention to whatever pun was iced onto it. "Well, that was fun." He said.

"Shut up." Laxus mumbled, throwing the rest of the stems into the vase, and with a swipe of his hand, the pile of rose petals has sent flying off the table, each one slowly floating towards the ground.

"You know Mira's gonna make you clean that up, right?"

The Dragon Slayer turned to face the almost always-grinning Seith mage. "Seriously, do you _ever_ shut up?"

"Aw, come on, Sparky," Bickslow mocked, his bottom lick protruding slightly, "You know you love me. After all, who else is going to put up with you and be your best friend, huh?" He said as he put his arm over the larger man's shoulders.

Laxus sat back on the bench, folding his arms across his broad chest and he turned to look in the other direction. "I sincerely hope you get a girlfriend one day, just so you have a reason to spend less time around me." He muttered.

"Never gonna happen, Sparky." Bickslow laughed.

* * *

Lucy put on a brave face and a great big smile as she walked into the guild. She already knew Mira had decorated it, because she'd had to listen to the barmaid go on and on about it for the entire week leading up to Valentine's Day.

If anything, the guild was the best place to be, too. Despite the outrageous interior transformation for the most romantic day of the year, almost everyone in the guild was single or at least dateless for the day, so Lucy was free from the public displays of affection and the love proclamations.

If anything, it was like a usual day in the guild.

Juvia was chasing around Gray with her own batch of cookies – all of them iced to look like Gray – while screaming about how it was another anniversary and how much she loved him. Gajeel and Levy were sneaking glances at each other as they literally sat only inches from the other, and whenever they caught the other looking at them, they made a point of turning in their chair to hide their blushes. Erza was passionately staring at her cake, and well…Natsu and Happy were dancing on a table and making fools of themselves, and oh look, there's Lisanna admiring the pink-haired Dragon Slayer!

Also like she did every other day of the goddamn year.

Everyone was just waiting for Natsu to realise his childhood friend had a thing for him, but Lucy knew it was never going to happen.

But hey, she wasn't going to be the one to crush a girl's dreams of waiting for the guy to realise he also had feelings for her. Nah, not at all. As much as she liked Lisanna, she didn't want to think about what would happen if Natsu and Lisanna actually did ever start dating. Hell, Lucy wasn't even sure if Natsu knew what dating was in the first place, but still, there was a small part of her that felt if the two ever did find themselves in a relationship, then she'd get replaced.

And Lucy knew it was stupid to think that, she really did. Natsu was her best friend so she'd never actually get replaced.

Right?!

 _Right…_

So Lucy just went about her day like she usually did – sitting with her team once they'd all calmed down and they laughed and joked with and at each other. Natsu and Gray got into a fight at some point, sending a table flying into Erza's face as she sat back down, at which point they got their heads slammed together and landed in a heap on the floor as Lucy shook her head, making her way over to the bar where it was _somewhat_ safe.

She briefly looked up from her smoothie when Elfman shouted across the hall, something about roses, and she wasn't really all that surprised when Bickslow shouted back since the Seith mage was quite often insulting people those days.

It just really was like any other day.

Well…it was like any other day until it got to noon, and as the second hand ticked over, Mira and Cana appeared on stage and the guild fell into silence as Mira tapped on the microphone hovering just before here, garnering everyone's attention.

"Hi, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying this joyous day, so full of love and romance." She said, her hands clasped together in front of her heart.

Lucy had to refrain from cringing too hard. _Joyous, pfft. Yeah, right._

"Now, in honour of Valentine's Day, Cana and I have come up with a little something that you will all love, since no one should be alone on this day." Mira chimed as she ignored the collective groan across the hall.

If Mira and Cana had teamed up, it was bad. The eldest Strauss' schemes were bad enough, but with the adopted Strauss involved? Yeah, it was going to be chaos.

"So, we've decided to set every person who is single on this lovely day up on 'blind' dates for tonight!"

 _Wait, what?_

The guild broke out into pandemonium. Shouts and screams reverberated off every wall and a few tables and chairs were sent flying.

"What the fuck, Mira?!"

"Blind what?"

"No freaking way!"

"Alright, alright…calm down" Mira said, lowering her hands to quiet the rowdy bunch. "Anyway! We've been around Magnolia and made reservations at every restaurant and café in town for tonight, and if you're single – or close enough to being so – then you'll receive a card from Cana in a moment with a time and place."

And at the mention of her name, Cana suddenly perked up and she lay her hand flat in front of her, palm up with a deck of cards stacked in it. One by one, her cards flitted out of her hand and went to a fair majority of the people in the guild until her hand was bare.

Bickslow stared at the card between his fingers as he caught his, staring at the elegant scrawl on the back of the playing card. There was no way he was going to be taking part in the demon's scheme – not at all. He was still a little surprised he'd gotten a card at all; despite being single, Mira had been trying to set him up with people for years, always telling him he needs to find someone to settle down with one day.

Pfft, like Bickslow was ever going to do that. He wasn't going to settle down with anyone. Love is too gross.

But without fail, Mira could always come up with a scheme to try and get him to go on a date with someone. It was common knowledge that Bickslow rarely went on dates – if any at all. He just wasn't that type of person, and even though Mira knew that, she was determined in seeing him get a girlfriend.

Glancing towards Laxus with his smug grin and arms folded, Bickslow dropped his card to the table. "Where the fuck is yours? You're single." He demanded.

But before Laxus could answer, Mira did instead.

"S-Class mages are excluded from this." She giggled.

So as another riot broke out in the guild, everyone ranting about how they weren't going to be going on the stupid dates, Lucy stared down at her own card. The fancy writing with the pink floral card-back was making her sick, and with a grimace, she picked it up and dunked it in her smoothie.

Like the rest of the guild, there was no way she was going on that date, no matter who it ended up being with, and with the amount of people in the guild, chances are it was going to be with someone she either despised or didn't even know the name of. Even though that was really the entire point of 'blind' dates, Lucy really wasn't in the mood for it.

 _Especially_ on that day.

A wicked grin spread across Mira's lips as she silenced the guild once again and when they all turned to stare at the eldest Strauss, they all took a step back or slid down their bench just to get a tiny bit further away from the menacing aura that she was letting off.

"Attendance is compulsory," Mira said, her usually soft voice just plain terrifying. "Anyone who doesn't show up on their date will be punished…by me."

Another collective groan resounded across the hall. Bickslow's head hit the table with his own groan. The demon was ruining his night of getting drunk and finding a blonde to satisfy his needs for the night.

"She's ruined my night." Bickslow mumbled into the table.

Laxus raised an eyebrow as his gaze flicked down to the Seith mage and he couldn't stop his lips from curling up into an even wider grin. "What? You actually had plans?"

"Yes."

"Like?"

He sat up, resting his elbow on the table as he propped his head up. "Go to a bar, get drunk, pretend to be someone I'm not, get a girl drunk, take drunk girl home; you get the gist."

"So…basically like what you do most nights?" Laxus asked, raising an eyebrow as he slowly reached for a rose from the vase.

"Pretty much."

"Laxus, put that rose back!" Mira shouted from the stage and when the Dragon Slayer flinched, Bickslow chuckled.

Only after getting a slight shock from Laxus did Bickslow stop laughing, so with another groan he picked up the playing card once again, staring at the elegant scrawl once again. A time and a place, that's all it had. If he wasn't so scared of what Mira's possible punishment would be, he really would just tear up that card and run away before the demon could kill him.

But that was the point – he really was worried about punishment from the demon herself, so he really had no choice but to at least show up to his apparently date for the night. He could only hope that it would be with someone at least a little entertaining and interesting, so he could at least say he showed up and talked…for a bit.

Mira said nothing about staying for long…just that you had to show up, and that, Bickslow could do. Hell, he'd probably show up, see who it was, talk for a bit and then make his way over to one of his favourite bars where he would stay until his usual plans went into action.

On the other side of the room, Lucy was wiping the card clean, and when she saw the ink hadn't been smudged, she was both glad and annoyed. If it had been smudged and she hadn't been able to read it, she could just say that she didn't know where she was supposed to go…but alas, the card lived and by the looks of it, Cana had made it so they couldn't be destroyed or damaged in any way.

Lucy just really didn't want to go on her date though. She had already decided that as soon as she got home that night, she was going to curl up on her lounge with a blanket, a box of chocolate, and several bottles of wine. At least that way, she could make a fun night of a terrible day.

But no, that just wasn't going to happen, because she had to go on a stupid date.

* * *

As Bickslow walked up to the restaurant, he fiddled with the buttons on his jacket – constantly doing it up around his middle and undoing it. He fidgeted when he got nervous, and dates – whether he wanted to go on them or not, mostly not though – were always reasons to be nervous, especially when he didn't know who was going to be sitting across from him, even if it was only going to be for a few minutes just to say he turned up.

 _I came, I saw, I conquered._

Wait, no, that wasn't right. He wasn't conquering anyone… not from the date, anyway.

But Bickslow was always nervous when it came to dates, just because the few he'd been on in his life had all been mostly disastrous and to that day, they'd all had something to do with Mira. Because he'd been on so few, he really didn't know how to act. He was always so out of his comfort zone that he generally acted like an even bigger ass than he already was.

When Bickslow saw the restaurant in front of him, he pulled the card out of a pocket and stared down at the writing once again.

 _ **Magnolia Stellata**_

 _ **7:30pm**_

Yeah, he was definitely at the right place, but with a quick glance at his watch as he pulled his jacket sleeve up a tiny bit, he realised he was still about twenty minutes early.

 _Damn it_ , he cursed himself. In his nervousness, he'd left far too early and now he had to sit at a table by himself and wait for whoever it was he was supposed to meeting to show up.

So with a sigh, he made his way into the restaurant, and if it had been possible, he would have choked on the atmosphere of it all. Romance. So much goddamn romance. So many couples smiling at each other; hell, there was someone proposing in the corner and Bickslow could only stop himself from groaning because he couldn't ruin it. The babies had been left at home, just because they tended to put people off when it came to his nights out.

Candles, candles everywhere. And flowers. So many flowers.

It was all disgusting.

But he pushed through the ever-growing nausea and made his way up to the hostess at the podium, and as soon as he'd opened his mouth, the woman has gestured for Bickslow to follow her through the packed restaurant. Apparently, Mira and Cana had made it so they'd be expecting members of Fairy Tail to show up on dates, so as soon as they did show up, it was just a matter of leading them to their table to let them wait for their date.

As they walked through the restaurant and over to a table by a window, Bickslow looked around the room, trying to see if there was anyone else from the guild that he recognised. But there wasn't, and hell, he was the only person in the room who was currently alone. There were enough restaurants in Magnolia to make it so there'd only be two people at each restaurant at any given time, assuming everyone had been set up for dates at the same time, and from what Bickslow had heard before he'd left, that wasn't the case. Some were supposed to meet at 6pm, others at 8pm.

It wasn't like Bickslow was complaining about his allotted time though, because heading to a bar at 8pm was definitely reasonable. By midnight, he'd be drunk enough and hopefully well on his way to snagging a blonde for the rest of his night.

But now all he had to do was wait, and thank god for the waiter bringing over wine as soon as he'd reached the table, taking a seat and unbuttoning the two buttons on his jacket as the waiter filled his glass. Under normal circumstances, Bickslow wasn't a big wine drinker, usually going for the harder liquor, but when it came down to it, he could drink wine for hours and barely even get close to feeling drunk, let alone tipsy. He'd been drinking with Cana for long enough to be able to hold his liquor regardless of what he drank…to an extent.

* * *

 _This is ridiculous_ , Lucy thought as she pulled on her heels and moved to stand in front of her mirror, making sure she looked, well…good.

And that's what was ridiculous – the fact that she was actually trying to look good. Why was she even trying? It's not like she wanted to go on a date – especially not with anyone from the guild. But… hell, it gave her something to do instead of just sitting on her lounge with a book, eating chocolate and getting drunk.

Besides, maybe she'd end up getting paired with someone who is actually decent and she could maybe see herself talking to, at least for long enough to say that she actually turned up. Mira and Cana had said nothing about staying for the entire night; Lucy had specifically asked how long she had to stay and apparently it was thirty minutes _minimum_.

Half an hour was manageable, assuming they were a somewhat interesting person she could talk to. If not, then…yeah, she'd rather take Mira's punishment. Surely it wouldn't be _that_ bad.

Right?

So with another long look in her mirror, she fiddled with the hem of her dress that hugged her figure in every right way and she knew made some people give her a second glance, and honestly, she liked that.

 _I look damn fine._

And with a single nod, she grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder and took her keys from the coffee table, making her way to her door before locking it behind her and making her way down the stairs and out into the streets of Magnolia. Lucy could only hope that she didn't have to pass too many happy couples on her way to the restaurant.

When Lucy walked into Magnolia Stellata at 7:25PM, she had to fight the urge to vomit into one of the many vases filled with, you guessed it, star magnolias and roses. Everything was so sickening – the atmosphere, the smell of the dozens upon dozens of candles that sat on the tables, the flowers, an oh god, all of the goddamn couples that just looked at each other with nothing but love and affection.

"I love you so much, baby."

"I love you more though, pumpkin."

"No, I love you more."

"No, I love _you_ more."

"But I love you the most."

Ugh, it was taking everything Lucy had to not turn around and walk out the door again, but she reminded herself it was just half an hour. Half an hour of misery and then she could be curled up on her lounge, gorging herself on chocolate and getting drunk by herself.

Just half an hour.

So fighting back the urge to vomit, she followed the hostess through the crowded and dimly lit restaurant, not at all surprised that she hadn't even had to say a single word before the woman realised why she was there. Mira had mentioned something about that happening.

"Here's your table, ma'am." The woman said, holding out her hands and gesturing towards the small table by the window and between two small screens, separating the tables that ran along the windows.

But when she saw who was sitting at the table, absentmindedly staring out the window, she really did have to fight the urge to turn and run away. Far away. In her shock, she'd stifled a small squeak with her hand – it was not a noise she was fond of.

Bickslow turned and his eyes went as wide as dinner plates under his visor. " _Cosplayer?!_ " All Bickslow could do was stare as she quickly crossed the short distance and sat down on the empty chair opposite him, a slight blush on her cheeks from the attention he'd drawn with his little outburst.

"My name is _not_ Cosplayer!" Lucy hissed as she leant across the table slightly, glaring at the Seith mage as his mouth hung open slightly.

"What the hell are you even doing here?!" Bickslow asked, leaning forward as he kept his voice low, his eyes darting to the side to see if they were still making a scene.

"What's that supposed to mean? You know exactly what I'm doing here if you're here!" Jeez, Lucy knew the guy was an idiot, but was he actually stupid, too?

Bickslow sat back suddenly when the waiter came over to fill up Lucy's glass, the corner of his mouth lifting up into the briefest of smiles as his own got refilled – _again_. Then, when the waiter was gone, he leant forward once again. "I meant, why are you even part of this stupid thing in the first place?" Because really, how the fuck was Lucy Heartfilia still classified as single?! Bickslow did not understand that. At all.

"Um…that's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"But how the fuck are you single? I mean, there's Natsu and Loke…hell, half the guild and the town…" He mumbled, trailing off as he took an incredibly large 'sip' from the wine just to calm his nerves.

She could feel the heat in her cheeks rising even more as Bickslow continued to stare at her, mouth still hanging slightly open in his evident shock. It was bad enough that she was painfully aware of how single she was, but now she had Bickslow commenting on it too? Hell, and he just had to bring up her pesky lion spirit again.

"That's…really none of your business," Lucy muttered, folding her arms under her bust and glancing down at the tablecloth. "And besides, even if it actually was half the guild and the town like you say, it doesn't matter. Most guys are too scared to even come near me…"

But as soon as Lucy had folded her arms, Bickslow had stopped listening; he'd been too busy staring at the glorious mounds of silky flesh that were so perfectly sculpted and between the fact her arms were pushing her breasts up even more and that her dress was incredibly low-cut, he had an incredibly nice view. The best part was that with his visor on, she couldn't tell where he was looking. Hell, it was probably the only good thing about having to wear the damn thing – he could almost constantly check out women, and boy, did he do it a lot. He couldn't help himself.

Just like he couldn't help himself from staring at Lucy's wondrous bust and his mind was running wild. Oh, how he'd like to press his face against them, his tongue trailing—

"Earthland to Bickslow?" She said, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

He blinked a few times as he was suddenly pulled from his daze, and honestly, he was a little glad that he'd had his thoughts interrupted. As much as Bickslow would have loved to see where his mind could take him – and he knew it would be some place fantastic – he knew sitting in a restaurant was not the place for it to do so.

His eyes flicked up to Lucy's face, a little hesitantly, of course. "What?"

"Were you even listening to a thing I said?" Lucy asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her leg over her knee under the table.

"Uh…" _Shit, what did she say?_ "Something about guys being too scared to come near you?"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she twisted in her seat slightly, folding her arms once again and lifting up her bust as she did so, not that she was really that aware of it, of course. "That was before I asked you what you were going to do after we've sat here long enough to keep Mira happy."

And really, Lucy hadn't been that surprised he'd tuned out, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Eh, what did it matter anyway? Sure, she could sit there for the next twenty-odd minutes, just drinking wine and staring out the window, or she could actually try and make conversation with Bickslow.

You know, assuming he didn't tune out. It wasn't like the man wasn't interesting, and honestly, a little entertaining, because he was. Lucy pegged him as being the kind of person who had a lot of things about him that people didn't know, and hell, maybe if she had a somewhat decent half an hour with the guy, then she wouldn't need to drink so many bottles of wine to herself once she got home.

Bickslow, though…Bickslow was on the fence about actually staying for an actual dinner – like a date, even – instead of heading out to a bar as soon as 8 o'clock hit. Hell, he had Lucy fucking Heartfilia sitting in front of him, and he'd push back heading to a bar just to pick up some random woman just so he could get a date with Lucy.

The woman was hot as hell and Bickslow would be lying if he said he hadn't fantasised about what he'd do with her if he ever had the chance. Not that he ever would, of course. Bickslow knew that.

But a date…a date was close enough, even though it seemed Lucy had had the same idea of leaving as soon as they'd been there long enough just to say they went.

He'd have to work on that. He still had twenty or so minutes though – if he played his cards right, he could so turn it into an actual date. Sure, nothing would come of it, but he could say he went on a date with Lucy Heartfilia of all people – that would definitely be something to brag about, even if it hadn't been planned in the first place.

So with a shrug as he folded his own arms across his broad chest and a wide grin, he said, "Was probably going to do what I do every year: get drunk, get a girl, fuck a girl. You know, the usual for me."

"Oh god," Lucy said, her face a mask of disgust, "You're horrible sometimes."

"Oh, yes, I'm aware," He chuckled as his grin grew wider. Then, as he leant forward again, "But if you're ever interested, I can make you moan 'oh god' over and over again."

When her face turned a shade that just about matched Erza's hair, Bickslow laughed, his head tipping back and tongue hanging out as he leant back in the chair, his body positively shaking with his laughter. He really couldn't help himself; he just had to get that one in there. Besides, if she ever was interested…well, it would be another fantasy he could cross off the list of fantasies to live-out.

"Oh my god, Bickslow!" She screeched (somewhat hushed, at that) as she leant forward over the table. If it was possible, her face heated up even more when she realised just what she'd said. "You perv!"

"Hi, I'm Bickslow. Have we met before?" Bickslow choked out, still laughing raucously. When Lucy shook her head at him, he swore he saw the smallest hint of a smile, just before she hid it behind the wine glass. Then, when his laughter finally died down and Lucy's face returned to a shade that was closer to her natural complexion, he shifted in his chair, folding his arms across his chest again. "So, what about you? What are you going to do after this?"

And Lucy debated whether or not to actually tell Bickslow what her plans were for the night. He'd been so brutally honest with his, but that's just the kind of person he was, but would he judge her for her plans? Would he laugh?

 _Fuck it_ , she thought. Her night was going to be _awesome_. She saw no harm in telling Bickslow, so she'd do just that. She'd tell him exactly what her night entailed once she was able to escape the torture that Mira was putting everyone through.

"Well, I was going to curl up on my lounge in my underwear with a blanket, a book, way too much chocolate, and a hell of a lot of wine." She said, taking another sip of wine as she continued to look towards the visor-clad man opposite her. Sure, the underwear part wasn't _exactly_ true, but there was a very _very_ small part of her that was itching to see what Bickslow could come up with.

She would embrace that part of her, and even though she wasn't entirely sure why, she could see herself actually enjoying the next twenty minutes if she could laugh. Sure, the guy had a very perverted and bizarre sense of humour, but Lucy had been in Fairy Tail long enough to realise that almost everyone in the guild had a little bit of a perverted side (especially the males). The worst part was that Lucy realised she had her own inner pervert to her.

Emphasis on inner.

It was probably the only reason she could put up with all of the disturbed things her guild mates said, and hell, it was most likely why she was trying to tease Bickslow.

That was the only thing that made sense.

And hell, was it working. Bickslow's mouth twisted into a smirk as he leant forward again, his hand resting against his jaw with his elbow on the table. "I'm liking the underwear part." And oh, was he _really_ liking it.

"Oh really?"

"You know, you never actually said if you were interested or not in my offer…" He murmured, continuing to stare into her chocolate-brown eyes. There was something about them that was so entirely captivating. Maybe it was the fact that there was a mischievous glint in them that he'd never seen, or maybe it was because he felt like she was actually looking him in the eyes, and when he wore his visor, it was usually just people looking _at_ him.

He really didn't know how to feel about that.

Lucy shrugged as her own lips curled up into a small smirk. "I suppose you'll just have to figure that one out on your own." She was suddenly having way too much fun with whatever it is she was doing. Hell, it wasn't really just teasing anymore, and she was vaguely aware she'd started flirting with the guy (sort of), but it wasn't like there was any harm in doing so.

It was just a bit of harmless fun, and she knew Bickslow would be fine with that.

And Bickslow really was fine with it. Hell, he was enjoying it maybe a bit too much. He was seeing a side of Lucy that he had never expected to exist and he really liked that side. She was carefree, a little playful, and damn sexy. But that was just Bickslow's opinion.

So for the next twenty minutes, they actually laughed – with _and_ at each other. The fact they both had a hatred for Valentine's Day was something they talked and laughed about _a lot_ , and it had Lucy wiping under her eyes a few times and Bickslow getting told he was disturbing the other diners with his boisterous cackle. They were actually having a surprising amount of fun with each other and it was probably the longest conversation they'd ever had. They'd been having so much fun that they'd both lost track of the time.

"Are you two ready to order yet?"

They both looked up to the waiter standing before them, a pen and notepad in hand as he stared down at them expectantly as their laughter died down. Bickslow looked down at his watch and he lost his smile instantly.

"It's 8:15." He mumbled, barely looking up. Sure, it was only fifteen minutes past what they'd both agreed to end their night at, but…Bickslow really didn't want it to end there. He really had been enjoying himself – more than he'd expected. Bickslow hoped that Lucy had enjoyed their time together as much as he had, and that maybe, just maybe, she also didn't want the night to end just yet.

And at the mention of the time, the last of Lucy's laughter died and she found herself looking down at the nearly empty wine glass before her as she ran her finger around the rim. "Oh…" She said sadly. It was past 8PM, it was time for her to go curl up with her book, chocolate, and wine… and even though it was what she'd been looking forward to all day, it was now the last thing she wanted to do. "Well…I guess—"

But she was cut off by the waiter as he rolled his eyes, huffing impatiently as the two seemed to all but ignore him. "Maybe I'll just come back in a few minutes?" He said with a forced smile that the two didn't see.

Before Lucy could even say, 'Well, I guess that's it then,' Bickslow cleared his throat. "We could always stay…for a little bit longer…if you want, I mean…" If she said no, then it was going to be as embarrassing as all hell.

"I thought you were going to go and get drunk and…well, you know." Lucy said as she felt her cheeks heat up again.

"I was, and I probably will later, but I mean…if you want to stay for like, actual dinner, then that's cool. If not, I'll just get the cheque and we'll call it a night…"

"Oh…w-well," she stammered, only lifting her gaze a tiny bit to see if there was anything on Bickslow's face – well, lower portion of it anyway – that would clue her in on what he wanted to do, because she knew she wouldn't mind actually staying. But with that damned visor, it was impossible to know what he was thinking. So instead, she'd just have to go out on a limb and hope she didn't make a complete fool of herself. "I wouldn't mind staying a bit longer, only if you want to as well, though."

 _Hell fucking yes!_ "Yeah, I wouldn't mind," Bickslow said as his mouth twisted into another small smirk as he picked up the menu he'd been leaning on for most of the night so far. "It's been fun so far."

"Yeah, it has," Lucy agreed as she replied with her own smile, picking up her own menu. She peeked over the top of it as Bickslow silently read his. "I have one condition to staying though."

He lifted his head slightly as he raised an eyebrow. _Condition? Why the hell does she have a condition_?! "And that is?"

"Lose the visor."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I know you can go without wearing it because I've seen you without it on in the guild…but if this is different, then that's okay."

"I don't _have_ to wear it…not always, anyway," He said as he lowered the menu back to the table. "But…why do you want me to take it off?"

Lucy shrugged. "I want to be able to see your face so I can try and figure out what you're thinking." She really didn't see the point of not answering the question, because after all, she considered it a fairly valid reason to asking Bickslow to not wearing it.

"…I'm not going to make you uncomfortable or anything?" He asked, and when she shook her head, he all but ripped it all off before dropping it to the ground by the leg of the table. It wasn't like he enjoyed wearing the thing, so when he did have the opportunity to take it all off, he did.

"Eager, are we?" Lucy giggled as Bickslow shook his head, running his hand through his hair as he held back his own chuckle.

So, as they went back to reading their menus, Lucy really couldn't stop herself from peeking over the top of it again, except when she looked up, Bickslow was doing the same and when they both caught each other red-handed, so to speak, they both glanced back down, hiding their slight blushes and small smiles behind the menus.

His visor wasn't just good for being able to stare at the female body all day, but it was good for staring at people in general and they'd almost never know. He'd been staring at her face for most of the night (strangely enough), but now his secret was out. _Damn it._

Taking another small sip of her wine, Lucy lifted her gaze once again. "So…is this like a date?" She asked, lifting the menu as she placed the glass down just to hide her blush again. Hell, if it was actually a date (even though it was really a date in the first place), she wouldn't mind.

And even though Bickslow really just wanted to say, 'hell fucking yes, it is!' he knew he couldn't. No, instead he'd have some fun, like they'd been having all night so far. So, lowering his menu just enough for her to see the smirk that reflected the mischief in his eyes, he said, "Well, I suppose you'll just have to figure that one out on your own."

Ah, it felt incredibly good to use her own words against her, just because Bickslow could tell it was going to drive her insane as to whether it was an actual date for the rest of the night. Bickslow was going to treat it like a date, which was what he'd planned all along, assuming she'd decided to stay, which she had.

The only real problem he faced now was actually trying to impress her, because hell, he was really bad when it came to dates, and the fact that he was on a date with Lucy goddamn Heartfilia of all people was making him incredibly nervous.

Was it weird that he actually wanted her to enjoy it; as an actual date?

 _Probably._

But hey, it would be the only date he ever got to go on with her so he might as well enjoy it, right? That just means pulling out all the stops.

* * *

And Bickslow had been right – Lucy really had spent the entire night trying to figure out if it was an actual date or not. It had seemed like one, not that she'd been on many in her life to know the ins and outs of dates. After all, most guys were too scared to ask her out just because of her team.

Over the course of their night, she'd laughed more times than she had in a while and her jaw had begun to hurt at some point just because of how much she'd been smiling. She'd learned more about Bickslow in the space of a couple of hours than she had in all the time she'd know the man.

The more wine she had, the less she blushed at every little flirtatious thing he said, and the more she actually flirted back, and as the night progressed, the more they subtly flirted with each other. She'd been enjoying herself far too much to care.

She'd come to learn that Bickslow really wasn't the giant jerk that he appeared to be almost all of the time. Sure, he was still a massive prankster at heart (that much she'd figured out) and he really an ass, but he had a side that was kinder, and if anything, it was toned down. He hadn't been the usual outrageous and loud joker that he usually was in the guild, and if anything, Lucy could see herself actually becoming friends with the man.

But that wasn't going to happen, because once they went back to their respective homes and went about their originally planned nights, their sort-of, maybe impromptu date would be forgotten and they'd go back to their usual lives and most likely pretend it never happened. If Mira ever found out just who they'd ended up being partnered with, then neither would hear the end of it.

So when they stopped in front of her apartment building having walked together once the restaurant had closed since they lived in the same area, Lucy was almost sad that her night was ending. Waking up that morning, she never expected to be going on a date with Bickslow and actually enjoying it – on Valentine's Day of all days.

"Well, this is me…" She said, a small smile as she looked up to Bickslow, stepping off the canal ledge and slowly walking towards the double doors.

"Oh, right…" Bickslow mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked up to the salmon-coloured building. The awkward tension between them began to rise quickly as they both stood there in silence, neither really knowing what to do or say.

Hell, Bickslow just had no clue of what to do. He really was bad when it came to dates.

"Uh, well…I had a really good time tonight." Lucy murmured as she looked down to the cobbled path, feeling the heat on her cheeks once again.

"Yeah, me too."

And after another few moments of an awkward silence, Lucy stepped back, turning slightly to turn to her door. It was time for her night to end, even though she didn't want to it. After all, what's what saying? 'All good things must come to an end,' and her night was definitely a good thing.

"Well, I best be heading inside…" She said with a small smile, looking up again to see Bickslow's own smile. Then, with a quiet laugh, she said, "I suppose I should let you get on with your grand plans for the rest of the night."

His smile turned into a grin; he'd completely forgotten about what he was supposed to be doing after their date. Hell, he didn't even want to. He'd had a good enough night with the blonde before him so he had no reason to actually put his grand plan into action. "I'm just going to head home myself, actually. I might skip this year." He laughed.

"O-oh…well…I hope you enjoy your night either way, and thanks again for tonight, I guess." She said, continuing to step backwards until her heels hit the bottom of the stairs leading up to the doors.

Anything to just draw the night out. Anything.

"Yeah, you too," Bickslow said with a small smile as he lost his grin, suddenly realising his night was quickly coming to a close. But as he took that first step and she began to climb the short stairs, he turned back around. "Just one more thing…" He called, "Did you ever figure out what it was?"

Lucy's blush was back in full force as she pushed the door open slightly, and with a wide grin of her own, she turned where she stood to face the Seith mage once again. She knew exactly what he was asking about as soon as the words had left his mouth, and even though Lucy still wasn't sure what it actually was, she could at least say what she thought it was; no, _hoped_ it was, as strange as it was to admit that. "I'm going to say it was a date."

And just hearing Lucy call it a date had Bickslow's heart start beating just a tiny bit faster, though he wasn't entirely sure why at the time. Even though it would probably be their only date ever, if she thought it was a date, then it was a date.

Bickslow was lucky enough to say he went on a date with Lucy Heartfilia, not that he'd ever actually tell that to anyone. Mira would skin him alive for the details if he did that. No, it would be his little secret. He was okay with that.

So turning back around slowly, he shrugged. "I'm glad you figured it out," He said, flashing his smug smirk before taking the first step of his way back to his own home. "Night, Cosplayer." He called.

"Good night, Bickslow." She replied, finally pushing her door open enough to walk into the dimly lit foyer of her apartment building. There was a part of her that wanted to jump for joy at the fact that it had actually been a date, but she had to stop herself from doing so. It was just one date; a surprisingly good date, but it was just one.

Just one that a part of her wished could be one more, followed by another.

So as Lucy finally made her way up the stairs to the comfort of her own apartment, ready to curl up with her book and a blanket, minus the chocolate and wine, she'd decided, Bickslow walked through the quiet streets of Magnolia with a wide grin.

Though he didn't know it at the time, he'd actually end up marrying that same blonde he'd spent his night with a little over a year later, and the months and years to come would be the best of his entire life.


End file.
